So I'm washing my car... and I notice that in several places my stripe is trying to peel back and come off... and one particular place a portion of it has already COME off!



Anyone else having this problem? Is this a problem in general with these type stripes?

 

Need more information from you. Are these stripes from factory (rocker panel) or aftermarket? Are they stripes on the top of the car or rocker panel? Exactly where are they peeling?

I know lots of questions but the more info you give us the more we can help. You do need to be careful whenever washing a car that has vinyl stripes because if you catch and edge you can cause it to lift and any dirt that gets under there will stop it from sticking back onto the car.

 

Oh and I forgot to ask, were you hand washing, power washing or have ever taken it through a drive-thru car wash?

 

Rocker panels -- came like that from the dealer. (the stripe along the bottom of the door, etc).

It's trying to peel right at the edges where the end of each stripe section are. The piece that actually came off is about a quarter inch section where the front quarter panel meets the door.

I hand-washed and was careful -- and before I even got to that part to wash it I noticed it -- so it was already doing it.

 

I installed my rocker stripes myself and actually wrapped them over the edge of the wheel wells (like some of the late-60's Shelby's) to help prevent this from happening. But whenever you have vinyl, you have to make sure to be careful around the edges and especially any corners or ends. Always scrub parallel with the stripes... and when you get to edges, just scrub out to the dge and then lift up so you don't run it back against the stripe. But, that's just part of having vinyl stripes. They are going to eventually come off, no matter what you do.

Yes... the space where the doors are is another tough spot. I wrapped that as well. If you got the stripes from the dealer, bring it back and explain that you were careful when washing and it's still peeling off. It sounds to me that they might have been installed wrong... i.e. at the wrong temperature, or maybe the car wasn't cleaned as well as it should be before they were put on. Get them to take off the stripes and put on new ones.

 

Bring it back to the dealer. They should cover it. When the stripes are installed if there is any wax on the paint they will not stick properly. I took a look at the dealer stripes and they do not round any corners so don't be surprised if after a while the letters start to lift as well.

 

If they are installed properly and you are careful they should last a long time. The BOSS redesign I did on my 97 GT is still on the car after 7 years. I slightly rounded the corners and I could even go over them with my polishing machine without damaging them.

 

Before I forget, here is a tip for everyone. Get a small can of clearcoat paint from an automotive store. Spray a little into a container. Using a small paint brush apply a thin coat of clearcoat to the points of any stripes (ends, tips of letters, etc.). When it dries you really can't tell it is there and if you ever remove your stripes you can easily wetsand it off. The stripes will never lift using this method

 

Like adrenalin said... bring it back to the dealer. Even if you are rough with them, they should be real sticky at this point because they couldn't have been installed more than a month or so ago. You'd have to use your fingernail to peel them off if they were installed the right way. That sounds to me like maybe there was some wax or some dirt or oils on the car when they installed them. The temperature during install has a lot to do with it too.

 

Great tip! :worship: :worship:

 

can u guys go into a drivew thru car wash??

 

you can if you want to scratch the paint on the car, but if you don't care about that, yes, you can go through a drive-thru car wash but there is a small chance it could damage the stripes. I always go through a brushless car wash that has a powerful air dryer and never have a problem.